Chapter 13: Friday March 4: Making Plans - Uncle Trent!

They spent most of the next three weeks together. When they weren't going to the pictures they went for a meal. He went dancing with her, she went to the gym with him, and together they went shopping, generally with a mixture of his money and the money I gave her.

I guess it took me all that time to get used to the idea of not having Anne around so much, of 'seeing' her with him.

In all the time they were together Anne never once asked me when it was time for Bristoll to spend the night, never once asked me what this was all about. Neither did my father and Connie or Morrie and Julie, all of whom had learned to trust my good sense and judgement. They trusted me to tell them what this was all about when the time was right. Of course a lot of that trust was due to my brother, but I didn't care, especially where Connie, Morrie and Julie were concerned. My father of course was flesh and blood, that was a different matter. And Anne was becoming more and more important to me as the days turned into weeks.

Bristoll was never once allowed to take Anne to his home — though from the information supplied by Colin about his aunt and uncle that was probably for the best — even though he had spent many evenings at her — our — house. And it wasn't as though the subject never came up, her curiosity was frequently aroused by the many occasions he simply wasn't allowed to take her out.

When he couldn't bring himself to talk about his family she talked about her own — 'Morrie and Julie'.

After initially leading him on and then stopping him from going any further Anne it was who had to take the lead when it came to being more adventurous with their goodnight kisses. At the top of the driveway outside our house it was she who was the instigator of their intimate caresses.

Every touch, every embrace aggravated me so much my brother had to calm me down by reminding me that she was only following my orders, only playing a part. Still it was difficult to accept and I didn't know why. I mean it wasn't as if Anne wasn't still enjoying herself as she allowed my father and the regular crowd, both male and female, to enjoy the delights of her delicious and almost constantly naked body.

She was of course continuing to do wonders for Bristoll's confidence and that, so my brother cheerfully informed me, was the reason he was so much in love with her. But more importantly, insisted my brother, was that with her for company he didn't feel the insatiable lust to sexually molest girls. My brother even reminded me that Bristoll was fast coming to the conclusion that with time and patience their's could develop into a steady sexual relationship that could have a stabilising effect on him.

"How about driving up the coast tomorrow? Just the two of us."

They were sitting in a restaurant on a Friday night having a coffee after Anne had joined in one of Bristoll's sessions at the gym for the first time.

Anne looked at him her eyes beaming their acceptance. "Let's leave fairly early and find a quiet spot. We can go to your place and grab anything you need." She was playing the excited part now, it was what my brother said Bristoll loved about her, the enthusiasm, the excitement which she took into anything they did. "Then you can stay at our place. Mum's got some rolls and stuff, there's a fresh two litre container of orange juice and some fruit." She stood up. "Come on let's go."

'Looks like you're really going to have something to be jealous about now little brother.'

'You mean they're... ?'

'Of course, it was my idea for Anne to make the suggestion. Naturally her 'parents' are going to agree, but it's not going to happen tonight because just like all those other times they haven't been able to go out it's Bristoll's Aunt Linda and Uncle Trent who are going to be the obstacles.'

'So when is it going to happen, tomorrow night?'

'Listen and you'll see.'

Bristoll was about to pay the bill and walk out when something made him sit down again.

"What's the matter darling?" Anne was still standing waiting for him.

"It's them!" When she acted as though she didn't understand he continued. "The same two people who continually make my life a misery by making me do all the work around the place. How the hell am I going to convince them to let me spend most of the weekend with you?"

He watched Anne's face for some kind of a reaction and all she did was laugh. But it was kindly, not derisive or insulting. "Tell me something Nathan, if you go out for a run tomorrow morning, take some stuff with you, meet me at six-thirty, come back to our place, have some breakfast and go from there, what more can they do to you?"

Bristoll thought about it for less than a second before he answered. "you're right of course, there's nothing more they can do. But are you sure your parents won't mind?"

Anne leaned closer, put her arms around his neck and kissed him. "Of course they won't, they'll only be to happy to help, they think you're terrific."

They walked out to the car and Anne drove to Bristoll's house where she indulged in an intimate goodnight kiss before driving off.

'Anne's on her way home little brother but we'll stay with Bristoll, I think you'll find this episode a little more enjoyable.'

I looked at my watch as I listened to the noise of the party in progress while I was stuck in my bedroom. 'It would have to be, anything's better than watching Anne with that bastard.'

'Don't worry about what's happening out there Winston, they're too busy drinking and having sex to be worrying about you, and anyway you'll be out in time for Anne's arrival home.'

I closed my eyes and watched the picture of Bristoll appear again.

'He's late again little brother and as you'll soon find out that means trouble.'

I watched as he walked indoors. The man sitting in an easy chair in the lounge stood up as soon as Bristoll walked in. Physically he was even bigger than Anne's father and he looked tougher, but that was the only difference. One look at the expression on the uncle's face was all that was necessary as Bristoll walked into the lounge. He was in a rage fuelled by the vast amount of beer he had clearly consumed.

"You lazy good-for-nothing useless prick, we give you simple tasks to do in return for helping you out and you can't even manage that."

'You might say that Bristoll's just a touch confused little brother, it seems he was sure he'd done everything asked of him before he left home tonight. He remembers cleaning the bathroom and toilet, mowing the lawns and washing down the walls in the kitchen and can't remember being asked to do anything else.'

'Sounds like he's getting what he deserves.' I turned my attention to Bristoll's reply.

"I'm sorry Uncle Trent but I thought..."

"You thought what you deadbeat no good waste of fucking space. Haven't you learnt yet that you don't really exist, that you're here purely for our benefit. What about the floors? You didn't do them, and besides you didn't make a very good job of mowing the lawns. That means you can add those two jobs to your list of chores tomorrow."

"But I thought I didn't have any..."

"I'll be the one to decide what jobs you have or haven't got."

I watched with Bristoll as his uncles complexion flushed a dark shade of red. No more than a second later I watched as he turned into a modern day version of Robert Louis Stephenson's deranged maniacal Mr. Hyde character fuelled not by a strange potion but by an excess of alcohol and a hatred that had been simmering and was about to be brought to the boil. Bristoll was obviously in real trouble and I guessed I was about to find out how much.

"Right now though--"

Here it comes I thought.

"--you've got a lesson to learn--" he brought his hand back and hit him successive blows with the open palm before rolling up the sleeves of his work shirt "--and I'm about to teach it to you."

'Now he's wondering what to do little brother. You see Bristoll's pretty sure he can match his uncle's strength but he knows he can't match his natural street fighter mentality.'

Suddenly, as if to prove Bristoll and my brother right he received a punch on the bridge of the nose that flattened it, caused it to bleed and almost broke it. Bristoll put his hand up to feel the extent of the injury and that was a big mistake, a foot to the testicles was painful evidence of that. Now he had to rub his testicles while he was doubled over in pain, not that he had long to do that as his uncle caught him square on the chin with the same boot and sent him tumbling to the floor.

"Come on get up and fight you weak sonofabitch!" Bristoll's uncle grabbed the collar of his shirt in his left hand, lifted him roughly from the carpet and gave him several stinging slaps with the right hand before dropping him. "Typical! As weak as the piss your Aunt Linda tries to pass off as tea."

I watched the uncle move back.

"Come on, at least prove you've got some spine by getting up and trying to throw a punch. Come on you weak-kneed coward stand up and fight like a man, here I'll even let you take your best shot."

'What else can he do Winston? His nose feels as if somebody has driven a three-inch nail straight through it, his testicles feel as if they've been used as coals on an open fire and his face feels like it's been burnt to a crisp in the midday sun.'

Bristoll got unsteadily to his feet and focused on his uncle who was standing in front of him grinning broadly and motioning with his right hand.

"Come on take your best shot, one here," he pointed to his stomach, "and one here." He pointed to his chin. "True! Come on no bullshit. But if you can't put me down then no mercy, what do you say?"

'What can he say Winston? If he doesn't try his uncle will beat him to a pulp for being such a coward, and if he does it'll be the same result.'

Having presumably decided that he really had nothing to lose Bristoll swung with all his might at his uncle's tensed stomach with no visible effect.

My brother laughed wickedly. 'That was the last thing Bristoll expected little brother, oh he didn't expect him to double up in pain or anything like that, but he did expect some reaction. Now he's thinking that maybe ha has a weak chin. Well I guess we'll find out won't we.'